Volney j



(No Model.)

V. J. HEAD. TRACE FASTENER- No. 563,485. Patented July 7. 1896.

f :m1m\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ h. 7 W v UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

VOLNEY J. HEAD, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLESS. WVOODARD, OF SAME PLACE.

TRACE-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,485, dated J uly 7,1896. Application filed March 3 1896- Serial No. 581,680. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VOLNEY J. HEAD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Trace-Fasteners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of trace-fastenersin which the whiffletree is provided at each end with a springstopnormally extending beyond the sides of the whiffletree and compressibleto permit the trace to be slipped readily over its end into positionupon it, and to recoil into its normal position, when released, toafford a stop against the trace slipping off the whiftletree at its end.

My object is to provide a novel construction of trace-fastener in theclass referred to which shall involve a spring stop device adapted to befastened to the under or upper side of the whiffletree without requiringthat the latter be especially constructed or in any way altered orprepared to permit the application of the stop to it or to adapt thestop to perform its function in connection therewith.

The accompanying drawing shows, by a broken sectional view, my improvedtracefastener applied to a whiffletree and fastening a trace in itsadjusted position.

A is a whiffletree of any suitable construction and material.

B is my improved fastener, comprising a strip of springy metal, oradequately stiff wire, bent upon itself, or coiled at or near itscenter, to form an eye 1", from which diverge the spring-arms p 19, eachhaving formed in it, near its outer end, a depression affording astop-seat 0, from which the end of the arm describes an inward curve toits extremity, as shown at q.

The fastener B is readily applicable to the whiffletree, either upon itsunder side, as shown, or upon its upper side, by fastening it theretothrough its eye 1", as by means of the screw 0, to cause the divergingarms 19 to extend at their seat portions 0 normally beyond the sides ofthe whiffletree and the ends (1 to be accordingly separated at theirextremities, as shown. With the fastener in place, to adjust a trace Oon the whiflietree it is slipped at its hole n over the end of thelatter while the operator compresses the arms 19 in the grasp of onehand to bring the projecting portions to the relative positions in whichthey are represented by dotted lines in the drawing, whereby the tracemay be adjusted into coincidence with the depressions 0,'so that whenthe fastener is released the arms 10 will spring outward, with theirseat portions projecting beyond the edges of the whiffietree far enoughto embrace the trace in the hole at at its opposite ends and thus stopthe trace against slipping in either direction. To release the tracepreparatory to slipping it off the whiftletree, it is only necessary tocompress the spring-arms 0 until the bases of the depressions 0 meet, asthey are arranged to do, whereby the projecting portions of the arms arebrought within a compass which prevents them from obstructing thewithdrawal of the trace. 1

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a whiffletree,a tracefastener comprising a lengthof spring metal bent upon itself to form an eye 0", at which thefastener is secured upon a side of the whiffletree, and arms '19diverging from said eye toward an end of the whiffletree and projectingnear their outer ends, normally, beyond its sides, the projectingportions of said arms containing stop-seats 0 for a trace 0,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a whiffletree,a tracefastener A comprising alength of spring metal bent upon itself to form an eye r, at which thefastener is secured upon a side of the whiftletree, and arms p divergingfrom said eye toward an end of the whiffletree and projecting neartheirouter ends, normally, beyond its sides, the projecting portions of saidarms containing depressions affording trace-' seats 0, and the armshaving the converging extremities q, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

VOLNEY J.. HEAD.

v In presence of- J. H. LEE, RICHARD SPENCER.

